At the turn of May and June 2022, with the assistance of a high-lift platform and authorized technical workers (Fig. 1), additional low-cost sensors were installed to measure the spatial distribution of concentrations of aerosol partiles PM10 and PM2.5, and further the gases nitrogen dioxide NO2 and ozone O3 in high traffic-load areas of Legerova, Sokolská and Rumunská streets in Prague 2 (Fig. 2).
Fig. 1. Installation of air quality sensors on the building of the elementary and language school VĚDA using a high-lift platform. Photo: A. Šindelářová
Fig. 2. Air quality sensors installed within Sokolská, Legerova and Rumunská streets. Photo: A. Šindelářová
The public was informed about the ongoing measurement in the distributed leaflet.
Senzors are located on following spots:
Two more sensors were installed in the courtyard of the primary school at Legerova 1878/5 and one was placed on the grassy area of the water reservoir of the Prague Water Supply and Sewerage Company (50° 04' 20.7" N, 14° 25' 43.9" E; Fig. 3). In addition, sensors were installed also on the roof of the Prague Karlov meteorological station (50° 04' 09.5" N, 14° 25' 40.0", E; 1 sensor) and on the roof of the Le Palais Art Hotel Prague (50° 04' 11.493" N, 14° 26' 4.210" E; 1 sensor) to monitor background concentrations in this busy-traffic part of Prague. Two sensors are also placed for control comparison at the hot spot of the automatic air quality monitoring station Prague Legerova (50° 04' 20.6" N 14° 25' 50.4" E).
Fig. 3. Air quality sensor installed on a mobile meteorological mast within the TURBAN project at the PVK site in Karlov. Photo: P. Bauerová
The above mentioned sensor measurements will be used together with special meteorological measurements (microwave radiometer at the Prague Karlov station, Doppler lidar and mobile meteorological station in the area of PVK) to verify and improve software tools for microscale modelling of meteorology and air quality in the city (i. e. modelling in the resulution of metres). See Fig. 4 for a map of the location of all measurements.
Obr. 4. Location of additional measuring technology within the TURBAN project – low-cost sensors for measuring air quality (black points), meteorological profile measurements by microwave radiometer, lidar and mobile meteorological mast (blue points). Map source: Municipality of the Prague 2.
Ongoing progress on the project will continue to be available on the project website. An information leaflet on the implementation of this measurement was distributed to the public with the help of the Prague 2 Municipality. The results of the measurements will be published on the project website after their complete validation (i. e. with a delay of several months).
We would like to thank the Municipal District of Prague 2, the Czech Chamber of Authorized Engineers and Technicians (ČKAIT) and Le Palais Art Hotel Prague for their cooperation and preparation of the measurement sites. We would also like to thank the company Czech Water for providing a forklift platform and Mr. Michal Polanský (electrical inspection technician) for their professional approach during the installation of the sensors. Thanks also go to the Primary and Language school VEDA and to the private owners of the apartments in Legerova and Rumunská streets for their helpfulness during the installation and operation of these devices.